Thai, Japanese & Italian!

5 July 2007 (Thursday)
after too much good food (again!), we had a rest and went for fast food today! wahaha.. we had Chicken Treat at Westfield Carousel.. i had my favourite Hot and Spicy Boom Burger, Honey Senpai had the Real Bacon Burger.. we also ordered the Cheesy Potato Balls.. very filling..

6 July 2007 (Friday)
i brought Honey Senpai to King's Park.. a must-see when in Perth.. not that there were much to see.. but it's a must-go.. and not mention taking advantage of the good weather finally~ after King's Park, we had lunch in West Perth.. i have never took the Red Cat before and hence didnt know that West Perth is quite an interesting place.. lunch was at Tim's Thai Cafe/Restaurant.. we had:

- Phad Thai (Thai fried noodles with traditional Thai sauce)

- Red Curry (cooked with Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, basil, mixed vegetables)

- Tom Yum [Prawn] (traditional Thai spicy and sour soup, with Thai herbs, mushrooms)

Results - Tim's Thai Cafe/Restaurant - Honey Senpai
1. Phad Thai = 3.3/5 (66%)
2. Red Curry = 3.9/5 (78%)
3. Tom Yum = 3.35/5 (67%)

Results - Tim's Thai Cafe/Restaurant - Coffee Queen
1. Phad Thai = 3.1/5 (62%)
2. Red Curry = 3.75/5 (75%)
3. Tom Yum = 3.35/5 (67%)

i'm impressed with the Red Curry and the Tom Yum Soup.. even though my favourite of all Thai food is the Phad Thai.. this Phad Thai has not yet met my standards though..

Ambiance: not at all impressive.. i guess there's none.. except for the 3 tables in the alfresco dining area..

Service: there's a nice waitress there.. the chef forgot to put lemon juice in our Tom Yum soup and she brought it for us..

Prices: pretty reasonable.. relatively more expensive for dinner..

Overall: quite yum~ would be a good place for luncheons if the outlook of the restaurant is not a great deal.. an interesting find in West Perth..

Tim's Thai Cafe/Restaurant
Shop 1, 1297 Hay Street
West Perth WA 6005

7 July 2007 (Saturday)
went shopping at Harbour Town today as the weather's grumpy again.. had a late lunch at Shimizu.. we ordered the Tuna Roll and the Tori karaage Don to share between us.. i forgot to take photos again~ hehez..

the highlight was dinner.. i booked a table at Shige Sushi Bar and invited Dessert Queen.. we ordered heaps!

- Sashimi Combination [small]
- California Roll with Salmon Roe
- Gyoza
- Agedashi
- Torikara (fried chicken marinated ginger sauce)
- Jibuni
- Salad [large]
- Zaru Soba (buckwheat noodles served with cold soup)

geez.. the list now look scary! wahaha.. but we enjoyed it very much! i've only got the photos for the following because i was too busy eating:

- Sashimi Combination

-California Roll with Salmon Roe

- Zaru Soba

Results -Shige Sushi Bar - Honey Senpai
1. Sashimi Combination [small] = 3.35/4 (83.8%)
2. California Roll with Salmon Roe = 3.05/4 (76.3%)
3. Gyoza = 3.7/5 (74%)
4. Agedashi = 3.5/5 (70%)
5. Torikara = 3.7/5 (74%)
6. Jibuni = 3.7/5 (74%)
7. Salad [large] = 2.95/4 (73.4%)
8. Zaru Soba = 3.3/4 (82.5%) "the quail's egg is ingenious~"

Results - Shige Sushi Bar - Dessert Queen
"all 5 star! i especially like the Jibuni!"
Ambiance: 3 star.. the restaurant is too small.. which we all agree..
Service: 5 star.. it wasnt too busy when we were there for dinner.. so service was good..
Prices: value for money because of the quality of the food..
Overall: would definitely go back there again.. and introduce it to more people!

Results - Shige Sushi Bar - Coffee Queen
1. Sashimi Combination [small] = 3.3/4 (82.5%)
2. California Roll with Salmon Roe = 3/4 (75%)
3. Gyoza = 3.5/5 (70%)
4. Agedashi = 3.5/5 (70%)
5. Torikara = 3.7/5 (74%)
6. Jibuni = 3.6/5 (72%)
7. Salad [large] = 2.8/4 (70%)
8. Zaru Soba = "tasted only a tiny bit.."

high scores for Shige Sushi Bar! and it's really worth it! Shige-san made his own Salad Dressing and Teriyaki Sauce and he sells them for A$5 a bottle! so try the salad! also, the Teriyaki Beef is just amazing!!! if are you not sure what you want, or if you would like to try everything, get the Reef & Beef or the Chilli Prawn & Squid.. so you can have best of both worlds.. hehez..

Shige Sushi Bar
Shop 13/ 19-21 Mends Street
South Perth WA 6151

8 July 2007 (Sunday)
it's raining on Sunday again! and we went Freo again!!! cant believe it.. what kind of luck do we have? anyway, by the time we got to Cicerello's, i was half wet, as in the front half of me was wet.. actually, i think drenched would be a better description.. my back half was dry as the wind was blowing in our faces.. good thing was that we have our sweaters on.. i cant imagine being wet from top to bottom! due to the rain, or should i say storm? anyway, the place was packed!! i have never seen Cicerello's this packed throughout my 3 and 1/2 years here.. never..

we had to wait for a table.. standing next to one that looked like the people are almost done.. it was a table with 2 women and their respective kids.. and one woman actually make it quite audible that they are not moving their butt yet since they've got wine and beer to finish, in a very impatient mood.. i wasnt even impatient.. we were just standing there waiting and we kept our distance.. we didnt stare.. i understand the situation perfectly.. and she has to be hostile? whatever~ anyway, the table next to them was a family of 5.. and they were very kind.. the Mum said to me that they will be done in another 5mins and i said my thank you.. i really appreciate it.. geez.. see the difference between well-mannered and impolite people?

anyway, i didnt let ill-mannered people spoil my mood.. we got our table and i went to make our order of a Seafood Tray and a Chilli Mussels! yum~

- Seafood Tray

- Chilli Mussels

yummy yum~

Results - Cicerello's - Honey Senpai
1. Chilli Mussels = 3.7/5 (74%)
2. Seafood Tray = 3.45/5 (69%)

Results - Cicerello's - Coffee Queen

1. Chilli Mussels = 3.6/5 (72%)

2. Seafood Tray = 3.3/5 (66%)

Ambiance: large area dining in.. and an even larger area for alfresco dining.. near to the sea.. very relaxing when the weather's superb.. beware of the seagulls though.. if not, they will S.O.Y~ *wink*

Service: self-service..

Prices: reasonable as food is good..

Overall: "definitely worth the wait for a table.. and the Calamari is exceptionally good.. can be eaten on its own and not be sick of it.." [Honey Senpai]

Cicerello's Fremantle
Fisherman's Wharf
44 Mews Road
Fremantle 6160

Taka! Tra Vinh~ Nando's..

2 July 2007 (Monday)
we woke up late today and decided to stay home for the day.. it was too rainy to head anywhere.. took time to note down these yum~ stuff here and to recover from too much good food.. in order to take up more challenges from tomorrow onwards.. wahaha!

3 July 2007 (Tuesday)
we met up with Sinnie for lunch in the city today.. she's leaving for Japan coming Friday.. she'll be there for 3 weeks to teach English.. how cool is that! she'll be doing some travelling in Malaysia and Singapore after that.. i may be able to meet her there..

lunch was at Taka's Kitchen and we ordered loads of yum~ stuff.. we had:

- Miso Katsu (my current favourite!)

- Japanese Curry with Karaage

- Teriyaki Toufu

- Teriyaki Fish

i ordered the California Roll as well.. theirs had fresh prawns in it instead of the usual crabstick.. feels like a Prawn Roll instead.. but i forgot to take a photo of it.. i was too hungry! wahaha.. and to be honest, you are not missing much if you didnt know about their sushi..

Results - Taka's Kitchen - Honey Senpai
1. Miso Katsu = 3.6/5 (72%)
2. Japanese Curry with Karaage = 3.85/5 (77%)
3. Teriyaki Toufu = 3.15/5 (63%)
4. Teriyaki Fish = NIL
5. California Roll = 2.45/4 [Smell section was strike off] (61.3%)

Honey Senpai commented that the Miso sauce of the Miso Katsu was a little too salty.. it was too salty to be eaten on its own.. with some rice, it's just right.. also, Honey Senpai only took a small piece of the Teriyaki Fish.. "not enough to comment", he said..

Results - Taka's Kitchen - Coffee Queen
1. Miso Katsu = 3.75/5 (75%)
2. Japanese Curry with Karaage = 3.6/5 (72%)
3. Teriyaki Toufu = 3.2/5 (64%)
4. Teriyaki Fish = 3.3/5 (66%)
5. California Roll = 2.3/4 (57.5%)

i love Miso Katsu~! haha.. i've been eating a fair bit of the Teriyaki Fish and Toufu before i switched to the Japanese Curry.. until i discover Miso Katsu.. you know, love at first bite? hehez.. the California Roll feels more like a Prawn Roll, really.. i wonder if they mixed up my order with someone else.. anyway, the sushi's not at all impressive.. better stick to my Miso Katsu!

Ambiance: a place where you can get value-for-money food real quick.. big servings that leaves you very satisfied indeed.. can be very noisy during lunch hours.. with heaps of people and the 'notifiers' (di-di-di-di~!) going off here and there!

Service: self-service.

Prices: very reasonble! that is why there's loads of students over there.. and even the office crowd favours Taka's kitchen for it's low prices..

Overall: a place i would go with friends and on my own.. and when in doubt, stick to Taka's Kitchen.. difficult to go wrong..

Taka's Kitchen
150 - 152 Barrack Street
(Corner of Wellington Street)
Perth WA 6000

*Sidetracking in progress: Transformers was the highlight of the day and we really enjoyed it!

Dinner was at Tra Vinh.. we initially went to Kim Chee House but it's closed on Tuesday!! oh well, we switched to Tra Vinh as Honey Senpai wanted to try Vietnamese food.. but the food there disappointed him after he ate it~ we ordered:

- Braised Chicken with Ginger & Spring Onion

i cant give this dish any other credit other than that the chicken is soft, really.. there's heaps of ginger strips but there's no hint of ginger at all when i ate the chicken on its own..

- Pork Spare Rib with Peking Sauce

Honey Senpai said this dish tasted like it's done Sweet and Sour.. i think i'm eating Pork Spare Rib with Plum Sauce.. i wonder if the order-taker took my order wrongly.. the Pork pieces are quite over done and looked charred to me.. credit is given for being served on a hot plate~ and i quite like the unknown sauce though~ haha..

- Fried Rice

the Fried Rice tasted bland and wasnt even mixed well with the soy sauce.. cant be given much credit..

Results - Tra Vinh - Honey Senpai
1. Braised Chicken with Ginger & Spring Onion = 2.55/4 (63.8%)
2. Pork Spare Ribs with Peking Sauce = 2.55/4 (63.8%)
3. Fried Rice = 1.9/4 (47.5%! this is the first red mark on this blog!))

Results - Tra Vinh - Coffee Queen
1. Braised Chicken with Ginger & Spring Onion = 2.3/4 (57.5%)
2. Pork Spare Ribs with Peking Sauce = 2.7/4 (67.5%)
3. Fried Rice = 1.9/4 (47.5%!)

Results are based on 4 instead of the normal 5 because the Presentation section has been taken off.. there's no presentation whatsoever.. so it would be better to strike it off..

Ambiance
Honey Senpai: "a lot of cheesy music videos.."
Coffee Queen: "yucky music videos.."

Service
Honey Senpai: "practically equivalent to self-service.."
Coffee Queen: "order-taking + serving = service?"

Prices
Honey Senpai: "a bit over-priced with regards to the overall feeling.."
Coffee Queen: "food's not worth the prices.."

Overall
Honey Senpai: "there are better alternatives for dinner.. eg, Sparrow.."
Coffee Queen: "it's all Kim Chee House's fault?"

there was only 3 tables that were occupied during dinner time.. i think that speaks for itself.. i'll stick to my Duck Noodles next time round.. if there's a next time..

Tra Vinh Vietnamese & Chinese Special Noodle House
149A Brisbane Street
Northbridge WA 6003

4 July 2007 (Wednesday)
Lunch was at Nando's in Karawara.. we ordered:

- Mixed Platter (half a chicken, 5 wings [not in photo] & 4 tenderloins)

- Coleslaw (large)
- Old-style Chips (large)

Results - Nando's - Honey Senpai
1. Mix Platter [Chicken + tenderloins] = 3.4/5 (68%)
2. Mix Platter [BBQ Wings] = 3.7/5 (74%)

Results - Nando's - Coffee Queen
1. Mix Platter [Chicken + tenderloins] = 3.3/5 (66%)
2. Mix Platter [BBQ Wings] = 3.4/5 (68%)

the Old-style chips and the Coleslaw tasted pretty normal, i supposed.. they are good, but not exceptionally impressive that i'll give them a write-up.. one thing to note though, the coleslaw tasted like the ones i can get at KFC.. i quite like them.. haha..

Ambiance: there's tables on both sides of the order taking counter.. facing the counter, the left side has a more cozy feel for people who may want to take a longer time to enjoy their meals.. ..on the right side, there's natural light shining through the glass doors.. which was more suitable for people like me, who want to take photos of their food.. haha..

Service: order-taking is at the counter.. and food's served to your table..

Prices: reasonable

Overall: a place i would pop back once in a while with a good friend/friends.. so we can order loads to share.. i wouldnt go there on my own as i'm not a great fan of chicken.. haha..

Nando's [Karawara]
Karawara Village Green Shopping Centre
Kent Street

Honey Senpai's holiday! (= Food Fest!)

29 June (Friday)
My first Home Judge for this blog is Honey Senpai! a Home Judge is based permanently as a judge because this person will be participating actively in many of my yum~ adventures! haha.. Honey Senpai's taking a big break from work.. and i'm using this opportunity to introduce all the yum~ stuff in Perth! Honey Senpai arrived late Friday night, just before 11pm.. i bought take-away from Shige Sushi Bar (South Perth, Mends Street).. Teapot and i once had dinner there and Shige-san's food just blew us away.. and we felt that it's worth the prices on the menu.. i bought:

- Agedashi (fried bean curd in spiced sauce)
- Jibuni (braised chicken marinated spicy sauce)
- Gyoza (pork dumplings)
- California Roll (sushi with crabstick, avocado and cucumber) with Egg (what i wanted was salmon roe but Shige-san gave me the omelette instead~ haha..)

my apologies for the lack of photos for the above food.. Honey Senpai, Teapot and me finished every bit of the yummy stuff.. we were too hungry.. hehez..

Shige Sushi Bar
Shop 13/ 19-21 Mends Street
South Perth WA 6151

30 June (Saturday)
For lunch Honey Senpai and i went to Arirang, a Korean BBQ restaurant + cafe, located on Barrack Street. we ordered:

- Haemul Pajon (a delicate savoury Korean pancake comprising of fresh scallops, prawns + squid, pan fried in light batter over a bed of spring onions)

- Bokgum Bak (traditional Korean fried rice. fresh + seasoned vegetables, beef bulgogi strips, pan fried in light soy + sesame oil, topped with a paper thin omelettle)

- Dolsot Bibimbap (a rich layering of fresh and seasoned vegetables, slices of bulgogi + extra seasoning, served steaming hot in a stone bowl over a bed of steamed rice topped with fried egg + chilli + sesame oil sauce. served with kimchi + miso soup)

Results - Arirang - Honey Senpai
1. Haemul Pajon = 3.4/5
2. Bokgum Bak = Nil (blur Coffee Queen forgot that Honey Senpai cant eat beef due to religious reasons.. sorry~ Honey Senpai.. hehez..)
3. Dolsot Bibimbap = 3.7/5

Results - Arirang - Coffee Queen
1. Haemul Pajon = 3.55/5
2. Bokgum Bak = 3.3/5 (a bit too oily for me..)
3. Dolsot Bibimbap = 3.4/5

Arirang's interior.. and there's another floor upstairs for the dinner crowd..

Both Honey Senpai and i gave a 70% for Ambiance.. but the Service was a little lack.. 60%.. we ordered the Korean Herbal Barley Tea initially, only to be told that they have ran out of it.. so we switched to the Korean Green Tea instead.. but it didnt come to us at all.. maybe it apparated elsewhere.. and i had to tell them to take that off the bill when we paid.. the Prices were alright for a restaurant.. and on the Overall, i would go back for the Haemul Pajon.. and Honey Senpai would recommend it, "if you are super hungry, as it is nearest to the bus stop where we dropped~" wahaha..

Arirang Korean BBQ Restaurant + Cafe
91-93 Barrack Street, Perth

After the shops in the city closed, we went to Icy Ice Snow Ice, the one that i went with Dessert Queen before.. we ordered:

- Coffee Ice for Coffee Queen!

- Green Tea Ice with an extra topping of Red Bean Paste..

yum~ stuff you can never get enough of.. hehez..

Results - Icey Ice Snow Ice - Honey Senpai
1. Coffee Ice = 3/4 (75%)
2. Green Tea Ice with Red Bean Paste = 2.95/4 (73.8%)

Results - Icey Ice Snow Ice - Coffee Queen
1. Coffee Ice = 2.95/4 (73.8%)
2. Green Tea Ice with Red Bean Paste = 2.9/4 (72.5%)

the Smell section was removed as we cant really smell the Snow Ices.. maybe it's cold and doesnt quite emit any smell.. and to include it would do injustice to the final results.. the Texture of the Snow Ices are really unique (!!!) and contributed to the high scores..

Icey Ice Snow Ice
297 William Street
Northbridge

For dinner, we went to Sparrow, an Indonesian restaurant.. when we got there, it was quite packed.. and we didnt book a table.. the boss asked if we were okie to share a large table for 10 with another group of 4.. i was hesitant as it might be awkward.. i guess the boss saw it and said that we would get a 10% discount for sharing tables! wahaha.. no complains then~ it's been a long long time since i ate at Sparrow.. and i'm glad to say that the food has kept it standards! we ordered:

- Ice Cendol

- Nasi Kuning (yellow coconut rice)

- Ayam Bali (chicken in Balinese curry sauce)

- Ikan Bakar (grilled fish in special sauce)

- Terong Semur (egg plant and dried shrimps in spicy soya sauce)

Results - Sparrow - Honey Senpai
1. Ice Cendol = 3.15/5
2. Nasi Kuning = 3.5/5
3. Ayam Bali = 3.55/5
4. Ikan Bakar = 3.3/5
5. Terong Semur = 2.75/5

Results - Sparrow - Coffee Queen
1. Ice Cendol = 3.1/5
2. Nasi Kuning = 3.5/5
3. Ayam Bali = 3.3/5
4. Ikan Bakar = 3.3/5
5. Terong Semur = 2.95/5

the final results may seemed low for Sparrow, but that's because the presentation part of the food was a just pass, thus pulling down the overall score.. but most of the dishes are definitely worth distinctions in taste.. the disappointing part would be the Terong Semur.. it lacked of much flavour except for a spicy feeling at the back of my throat after i swallowed it..

Sparrow's interior..

the Ambiance section for Sparrow would be a mere pass of 50% as well.. but what it lacked in decorations, it was replaced with the enthusiasm from the boss.. he is a quite a funny man, always smiling.. when he saw us taking photos, he said, "no photos, please!" i was taken aback and apologised.. but he quickly smile and said he was just joking.. haha.. there was also a little boy who was celebrating his birthday there at the restaurant.. and the boss actually whistled to get everyone's attention to sing him a birthday song.. Honey Senpai said it was like "a huge reunion" and i said it's like "a happy marketplace"!

Service was fast and efficient.. a 70%..

Prices were reasonable.. portions were small so we could try a variety of dishes..

on the Overall, Coffee Queen felt that it is definitely worth the walk from Wellington Street train station all the way into Northbridge.. and Honey Senpai says the restaurant reminded him of "a rowdy but cozy home reunion".. nice put.. we went home feeling very satisfied indeed..

Sparrow Indonesian Restaurant
434A William Street
Northbridge WA 6003

1 July 2007 (Sunday)
we decided to go against the weather and went to Fremantle.. it was raining and extremely windy.. we decided to have crepes for lunch at Michele's Crepe Suzette and stayed in the market to avoid the grumpy weather outside.. and these crepes never fail to impress, i guess..

Honey Senpai making his debut appearance on this blog! and no, you dont need tickets to enter the Freo markets.. Honey Senpai received some brochures from some guy, that's all.. haha..

yummy stuff, these are..

L'aquilla Chicken with fresh mushrooms, spring onion, melted cheese~

Mushroom, Spinach, Cheese, Tomato

Michele's Crepe Suzette!

Results - Michele's Crepe Suzette - Honey Senpai
1. L'aquilla Chicken = 3.6/5 (72%)
2. Mushroom, Spinach, Cheese, Tomato = 3.7/5 (74%)

Results - Michele's Crepe Suzette - Coffee Queen
1. L'aquilla Chicken = 3.5/5 (70%)
2. Mushroom, Spinach, Cheese, Tomato = 3.55/5 (71%)

really yum~ crepes, these are.. if you happen to be in Freo, head to the Fremantle Markets! remember to try them! Please note that the Fremantle Markets are only open from Fridays to Sundays!!!

Michele's Crepe Suzette
Fremantle Markets
Cappuccino Strip
South Terrace

Potluck session!

this Potluck session was meant to be on last Saturday but it was postponed to today as Del was held up with work.. my housemate, Teapot, didnt report for work today and joined us.. we ended up with:

.: Coffee Queen's pasta
.: Manami's sushi and apple pie
.: Good Fortune's Roast Pork and BBQ Pork (Del cheated! he didnt cook!)
.: Teapot's fried chicken

when Manami and Del arrived, i havent even started cooking! i have prepared all the ingredients but have to get some mushrooms from Coles.. i have only just got back from Coles and they have already arrived! and Teapot was still at Coles, shopping for her contribution.. haha.. the hostesses were late in the end~ anyway, we had a fun time cooking, eating and chatting.. it was great!

Manami's sushi..

there was Chicken/Cucumber Roll, Avocado/Cucumber Roll and Chicken/Omelette Roll.. i like it! Manami also brought soy sauce and wasabi for us..

Del's BBQ Pork and Roasted Pork..

Del cheated and bought his share from Northbridge before going to pick Manami up! *hmph* i was still waiting for my Tom Yam Soup and Phad Thai~ *dreams vanished!* haha.. the portions he bought were humongous and we cant even finish half of it!

Teapot's fried chicken..

this, i tell you, is not normal fried chicken! Teapot learned it from a Cambodian housemate she was living with before.. the chicken wings are fried in the 'normal' way.. coated with egg and then flour.. what's special about it is the sauce used for coating the chicken wings.. the chicken wings are dipped into the boiling sauce for coating once they are removed from the oil.. the sauce consists of:

- fish sauce
- white vinegar
- water
- sugar

the final step is to sprinkle a little bit of white pepper on the chicken wings once they are coated with the special sauce! and you'll have yummy~ chicken wings..

we had the apple pie with some of Teapot's ice cream.. i forgot to take photos of it~ i was busy eating, you see.. hehez.. and as for my own pasta.. i forgot about it too! but there will be photos of it soon, that's for sure..

Happy potluck session!

The first judging & Dessert Queen

Harlow! i'm quite excited about today's posting! it's the first judging and the Guest Judge for today is.. *drums roll* Dessert Queen! wahaha! she was pretty quick in coming up with her nickname on this blog.. yes, she's all ready to name herself the "Dessert Queen"!

Before i go into details, i just want to say that this is all currently taking place in Perth, Western Australia! i have been here for 3 and a half years.. and half a year is spent in Europe last year.. and from August onwards, i'll be back in my hometown, Malaysia, for quite a few months.. but for now, i'll try my best to introduce some of my favourite yummy hunts in Perth.. alright, let's start!

Met up with Dessert Queen outside of Wellington Street train station, just before we cross over to Northbridge.. we were scheduled to meet at 2.30pm and i was late for 5mins.. and Dessert Queen was late for *ahem* 30mins!!! *ahem* hehez..

by the time she arrived, my stomach was growling loudly.. and i went for the first thing across the road.. Tra Vinh! that was what Dessert Queen initially wanted the day before but i suggested another Vietnamese restaurant (Viet Hoa) further down Northbridge, which we have never tried.. but by then i was too hungry and i think it's safer to stick to something familiar when i'm hungry.. if not, i'll get very grumpy if the food turn out otherwise! at least i can be guaranteed the food i like at Tra Vinh.. so Tra Vinh it was!

all that Dessert Queen ordered was the Cha Gio Tom (Prawn Spring Rolls) and i ordered my favourite, the Mi Vit Tiem (Egg Noodle Soup with Braised Duck).. i always have this dish dry (i'm not a very soup person) and changed the egg noodles to rice noodles..

Cha Gio Tom (Prawn Spring Rolls)

Mi Vit Tiem (Clear Noodle with Braised Duck - dry)

the Prawn Spring Rolls are crispy on the outside and you'll find one prawn on the inside.. i'm not a prawn person either.. so i only ate one of that.. i'll give credit to the Fish Sauce.. hehez.. without it, the Prawn Spring Rolls would be rather plain.. but Dessert Queen likes them.. she added the Fish Sauce with the Chilli Sauce (in the first photo on the right.. meant for my noodles) and Voila! she has her new dipping sauce for her Prawn Spring Rolls!

the Mi Vit Tiem was served separately on 3 dishes.. the noodles in a large white bowl, the duck drumstick on a plate and the soup in a bowl.. for convenience's sake, i dropped the duck drumstick onto the noodles and took the photo above.. the duck has been braised just about right.. very soft and yum~ there was a generous serving of bak choy, lettuce, bean sprouts, cashew nuts and pork lard on the noodles.. the noodles are served with this sweet sauce.. i have no idea what it is.. but i really enjoyed it!

Results - Tra Vinh - Dessert Queen
1. Prawn Spring Rolls

~Colour 0.7/1
~Smell 0.5/1
~Taste 0.6/1
~Texture 0.6/1
~Presentation 0.7/1

=Total 3.1/5

2. Braised Duck Noodles

~Colour 0.5/1
~Smell 0.5/1
~Taste 0.7/1
~Texture 0.7/1
~Presentation 0.7/1

=Total 3.1/5

Results - Tra Vinh - Coffee Queen
1. Prawn Spring Rolls
*My results for the Prawn Spring Rolls are exactly the same as Dessert Queen.

2. Braised Duck Noodles

~Colour 0.6/1
~Smell 0.6/1
~Taste 0.8/1
~Texture 0.7/1
~Presentation 0.6/1

=Total 3.3/5

For Tra Vinh, both Dessert Queen and Coffee Queen came to the conclusion that:

-Ambiance: 0.5/1
-Service: 0.5/1
-Pricing: Average
-Overall: 2 Stars

=> Recommendable if you can withstand non-existent service.

Tra Vinh
149A Brisbane Street
Northbridge WA 6003

after Tra Vinh, Dessert Queen went to get Bubble Tea at Tea Fusion.. she got the Lychee Green Tea with Lychee Jelly.. erm.. very lychee-like.. haha.. and by the time we reached Icey Ice Snow Ice.. she has already finished her green tea.. we are new at this place and the lady boss (Dessert Queen says she IS the lady boss; she looks like it!) was very friendly and introduced us her more popular products.. and we ended up getting the Peanut Ice with chocolate sauce and eatra peanut toppings as well as the Original Milk Ice with fresh mango and mango sauce..

Icey Ice Snow Ice's interior..

their serviettes and little take-away menu.. so cute~

Original Milk Ice with Fresh Mango and Mango sauce &
Peanut Ice with Chocolate sauce and extra Peanut toppings

Peanut Ice with extra peanut toppings..

as can be seen, Dessert Queen is a very happy girl indeed.. hehez..

the Snow Ice is really different to what we normally get for our 'Ice Kachang'.. and Dessert Queen was explaining to me how they did it.. she's the Food Nutritionist, you know~ but it was pretty technical about freezing the ice immediately at -40C? Sorry, Dessert Queen.. hehez.. i quite enjoy it.. even though it's kind of cold for me.. and Dessert Queen was really very happy with all the sweet stuff before her!

a very enjoyable day indeed.. all spent with food.. hehez.. now, now.. for the judging!

Results - Icey Ice Snow Ice - Dessert Queen
1. Peanut Ice with extra peanut topping

~Colour 0.7/1
~Smell 0.6/1
~Taste 0.9/1
~Texture 0.9/1
~Presentation 0.7/1

=Total 3.8/5

2. Original Milk Ice with Fresh Mango and Mango Sauce

~Colour 0.8/1
~Smell 0.6/1
~Taste 0.7/1
~Texture 0.9/1
~Presentation 0.9/1

=Total 3.9/5

Results - Icey Ice Snow Ice - Coffee Queen
1. Peanut Ice with extra peanut topping

~Colour 0.6/1
~Smell 0.6/1
~Taste 0.6/1
~Texture 0.8/1
~Presentation 0.6/1

=Total 3.2/5

2. Original Milk Ice with Fresh Mango and Mango Sauce

~Colour 0.7/1
~Smell 0.7/1
~Taste 0.8/1
~Texture 0.6/1
~Presentation 0.7/1

=Total 3.5/5

For Icey Ice Snow Ice, Dessert Queen was very happy with it:

-Ambiance: 0.8/1
-Service: 0.9/1
-Pricing: Very Reasonable
-Overall: 4 Stars

Coffee Queen was happy with the find too:

-Ambiance: 0.8/1
-Service: 0.8/1
-Pricing: Reasonable
-Overall: 3 Stars

=> Highly recommendable!!!

Icey Ice Snow Ice
297 William Street
Northbridge WA

Finally! the first judging is done! get a rough idea of how judging is done? for future postings, there will only be the total results for the individual dishes but the Ambiance, Service, Pricing and Overall results will still be posted for each category.. this is just to let you know how judging is done.. what a long post~ hehez..

Opening Ceremony!

Harlow, harlow! Welcome to Dribble~ Nibble.. Scribble!! Today's the official opening ceremony of this food blog!

It's been a year since i came back from Europe (exactly a year!) and my fingers are getting itchy from not writing (typing) for too long! Tried and tested writing a few blogs but they didnt seemed to get anywhere and i gave them up! Wahaha! This time round, i have a new idea and goal for myself and for this blog!

I will be writing about places which i will visit with my various Guest Judges and post them up here with our reviews! Of course, this wouldnt be new as there are heaps of Food Blogs online, way before me. However, i will try to make this blog as interesting as i can and try to bring out my own style of recommending restaurants, cafes, etc, with the help of my Guest Judges, of course!

There will be photographs, definitely! Food judging will be based on 5 categories:

~ Colour
~ Smell
~ Taste
~ Texture
~ Presentation

There will also be the judging of the venue based on 4 categories:

- Prices
- Service
- Ambiance
- Overall

Last but not least, my Guest Judges will have to supply their own nicknames on this blog and their names must be food related! I cannot promise professional cookery skills or food knowledge.. but i reckon my taste buds are up to it, and so are the taste buds of my Guest Judges!

Will be back with more ideas!